MW3: CODENAME STORM
by Chryolain
Summary: While the games follow the battle of the east coast, another battle was raging on the west. Follow the special operations soldiers (callsign: STORM) into hell and back to retake Seattle, San Francisco, and- in the end- battle to stop the war in it's tracks. OC, based during MW3, will meet with game characters at a later point in the story.
1. The Battle of Seattle

"We've officially lost the northwestern coast! The Russians have pushed back all our forces. All major cities are under attack: Seattle, San Francisco, Olympia, we've lost contact with all of our leads in each area."

"What about that one on the monitor?"

"That's a special operations deployment, callsign STORM. They're ten klicks outside of Seattle."

"Get me control of that unit, I need boots on the ground, and they've just been volunteered."

"Yes, sir! STORM-01, STORM-01, do you read?"

"This is STORM-01, callsign Ridge, I read."

"This is overlord, you are now under our operational control. We've got two APC's inbound on your position. The russians have set up a jammer somewhere inside the Seattle city center, and our satellite feeds lead us to believe it's on top of the space needle. We can't get any air support into the city until that jammer is dealt with, do you copy?"

"Roger, sir. What's our objective?"

"Destroy the jammer, at all costs, we need to take back the west coast. The Jammer is full spectrum, meaning if it's anything like those we've dealt with on the east coast it'll block all radio contact while you're in it's sphere of influence"

"Don't worry, sir… STORM is on the block and rolling."

I was pinned down behind a bullet ridden hybrid car, and more rounds were flying over my head. We'd moved right into the city, and the two APC's- BADGER-1, and 2- were being extremely helpful, that was until BADGER-1 of them was blown to bits by a HAVOC. Now we were forced to take a ten minute detour, that had landed us dead in the center of an ambush.

"We need to move up!" I heard Ridge shout somewhere nearby, and I leaned out of cover to fire a few rounds from my HK416. I snapped back behind cover as soon as I'd leaned out, and the bullet storm intensified. I felt the heat from the rounds sliding over my head, and I clenched my rifle close.

"Would if I could!" I shouted out, and suddenly Ridge slammed into the car's side next to me. He was panting, and fired a few rounds over his shoulder, before he was blocked behind the vehicle as well.

"We've got a machine gun up left." He explained to me.

"Oh, yes, because I can do something about that." I replied sarcastically.

"Stow it and blow it, Gneiss!" Ridge handed me a grenade launcher, and I nodded to him. Then, without hesitation, I leaned out of cover, just as he did. I spotted the machine gun pinning me, and, rather than blasting him directly, I blasted a building over our attackers. The wall of the building came crumbling down, and I heard the gunner scream as he, and his backup, were buried by rubble.

"Are we clear?"

"We're clear!"

"Let's get that armor rolling." Ridge shouted, and the APC was immediately chugging forward. I stood, and stretched my legs. I didn't know how long I'd been pinned behind that car but it was at least a few minutes. I saw medics attending the wounded, and I turned away.

"Gneiss, our humvee got blown to shit, we're legging it from here." Igneous walked past me and punched my shoulder. I growled under my teeth, but eventually sighed.

"Alright, I'm moving." I groaned, as I shouldered my rifle.

"We're way too exposed out here on the roads, we're going to split up from here out," Ridge was standing by a humvee shouting orders, "STORM, we're moving through the buildings with the SPEC troopers. The last Humvee and the APC will roll on like normal, and split up at the next crossroads. One of us will get to the city center, and the ones who follow behind will provide cover once you enter. Now let's move!"

"Let's go." Igneous and I turned to a near skyscraper as Ridge stepped past us to the door. I brought up the rear, and watched as the rest of the troops loaded into the APC. Then I closed the door, and turned to follow the rest of my squad. There were twelve of us, STORM, it was my squad-Ridge, Igneous, and Me- then there was the rest of the special operations soldiers with us. I hadn't taken time to learn their names.

"What are we going to do when we get to the space needle?" Igneous asked, as we climbed a staircase.

"Burn the jammer." Ridge replied sternly as he kicked open a door.

"And then getting out? I don't think the Russians are going to take to kindly to us destroying the only thing keeping them from getting roasted by a hundred air strikes."

"We'll deal with that when the time comes."

"Yea, that's real comforting." We had been walking through an office building, and we came to a broken in wall. I looked up, and saw that a skyscraper across a few blocks had been damaged, and had fallen against the one we were currently in.

"Wow, look's like we've got a bridge." One of the soldiers said, and slung his rifle over his shoulder.

"The city center is that way. If we kept to the buildings and moved one by one it could take a hell of a lot longer to get there…" I muttered, "We could cut across up there. Looks like it'll take us atleast four or five blocks over… that's a hell of a lot of fighting to bypass."

"That's a good point, Gneiss. Alright, let's move." Ridge said the words, and we were climbing. It took us a few dozen flights to reach where the buildings met, and by that time I'd realized a few things. The building we'd be walking across was unstable, and damaged. While I didn't want to fight through half a dozen blocks of Russian infantry and armor, walking across a deathtrap of metal and glass wasn't too appealing either. By the time this was in my mind, though, we were already stepping into our makeshift bridge.

"Watch your step." Igneous muttered as he marched ahead of me. I took a deep breath, and followed him slowly. The only thing beneath us was glass, and a few hundred foot drop. I saw others crossing to my left, and I glanced down at the ground beneath us. The adrenaline kept me moving, and I'd already crossed a street. We were above a building, and about to step over another street, when I heard it. The APC's engine was unmistakable.

"BADGER-2 is right below!" Igneous shouted back to us, and we all looked down. The APC was engaged with two dozens infantry, and I saw the grenade launcher attempt to thin the attacking force, but I also saw a Russian with an infrared marker. The same marker I'd seen before BADGER-1 was hit.

"They're calling in a HAVOC!" I shouted, and practically on cue an attack chopper swung around the corner of a nearby building. I recognized the sleek metal. It was the chopper that had blasted BADGER-1, and I watched as it did the same to BADGER-2.

"Shit," Ridge was on the group immediately, "BADGER-2 is down, what's the status on the Humvee, anyone have eyes on…" Ridge paused as he listened to the response, and I kept moving, then I froze. The helicopter hadn't left, and I saw it adjust in our direction.

"Ridge!" I got his attention and pointed at the chopper. He stopped talking, and looked up, just as the chopper's minigun spun up.

"Move, now!" Ridge shouted, and we all suddenly ignored the fragile glass under our feet. I heard the first few rounds fly, and the glass start shattering. I had made it just over the next building, and without much thought, I jumped and slammed both feet onto the center of a window. I felt about ten or twelve feet, and landed on the rooftop. Igneous landed next me, and I immediately looked up. Ridge was still moving, and so were the SPEC troops. I saw Ridge make it to the next rooftop, but only two SPEC troops made it before the minigun caught up to them.

"Well… so much for an easy shortcut." Igneus groaned as he rolled to his side.

"Stay down!" I barked, and watched the chopper. We had landed behind a vent, and the chopper was hovering at the same corner. Then it pulled away, and I let out a sigh. Then I rolled to my feet. Igneous stayed on the ground, and took a deep breath.

"Can we just… not?"

"Come on, it's not much farther. Just a few blocks." I said, as I started down a fire escape. Igneous followed, and soon we had descended nine stories to the alleyway. I set my boots down gently, and looked either direction. The sun was setting in the distance, and the street was darkening.

"Looks like they all followed Ridge and those troopers."

"Well that's good for us." I said, and moved quickly to a nearby car. Igneus followed me, and I peeked around the car and saw a shopping center, "That starbucks. Let's head in there."

"Now's not the time for a cup of coffee."

"It's an entry into that shopping center, we can cut right through to the space needle. Ridge and the SPECs are in the office buildings a few down. All the troops will be focused on them. We'll get to the needle, and burn the jammer."

"... Get to the needle, burn the jammer… easy." Igneous muttered. I nodded, and we moved quickly. Igneous was the first one in, and I followed, but he had frozen. Ahead of us was the counter, and behind it was a completely oblivious Russian soldier. Igneous suddenly reacted. I watched in shock, as he grabbed a coffee pot, and slammed it over the soldiers head. The soldier crumpled, and Igneous dropped the shattered pot

"Dude…" I looked to him, and then soldier.

"I just reacted."

"No, that was a good reaction." I nodded to him, and then we stepped over the unconscious soldier.


	2. Shopping for Armor

The shopping center was quiet, and Igneous and I's footsteps couldn't be kept from echoing across the linoleum floors. We'd exited the starbucks, and were making our way across a clothing store. The sounds of the city had died in here, and the eerie silence made my heart race.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Igneous whispered, and practically on cue we heard a door open.

"Hide!" I said, and he dived down an isle of clothes. I did the same, and pushed my way into a circle of clothes. I held my breath, and heard my heartbeat in my ears. Then I spotted the flashlights. There were half a dozen blue lights coming down the main aisle way. I looked across from myself, and tried to spot Igneous, but he had vanished. I turned my attention back to the men who were approaching, and saw the russian soldiers round the corner onto my aisle. I raised my weapon slightly, and took a slow deep breath.

They started to pass me, and, just before I could fire, I saw a mannequin among a group of mannequins across the aisle move. Igneous had hidden in plain sight, and he opened fire on the men from the side, just as I did the same from the rear. They dropped in a few moments, and Igneous and I stepped out of our hiding spots.

"Great job." I said, and he patted me on the shoulder.

"Same to you."

"Now come on, we're getting close." He nodded, and we set off through the doorway that the soldiers had come from. We stepped out into a large open atrium area. We were on a second level, and below us was a food court, I paid it no mind, and instead looked across at the stores opposite us.

"The Space Needle should be across this court, and out the shops on the other side."

"Does it smell like diesel to you?" Igneous sniffed the air, and looked around.

"Yea… yea, it does." I replied, and sniffed the air, "It smells like… like tank exhaust… oh crap." I leaned over the railing, and looked down into the food court. There below us was a Russian T-90 main battle tank.

"Son of a bitch!" Igneous exclaimed, and the small gun on top of the turret started to turn towards us.

"Get down." I grabbed him, and dragged him to the floor. We watched as the gun swept past, and searched for us, "We're going to have to get past that tank if we want to get to the needle." Suddenly the main gun of the tank started to crank in our direction, "Uh… I think the IR spotted us."

"Should we run?" Igneous asked as the cannon started ticking it's last few degrees.

"Yes, now!" I shouted, and we started to move just as a tank round tore apart the floor we'd been on. It must've hit a support because suddenly I was sliding backwards. I turned, and slid my way down the quickly sloping floor. I hit the lower floor, and tucked and rolled past some rubble, and landed against the tank. I shook my head, and tossed off my helmet.

The tank was still trying to hit Igneous, who was moving his way across the balcony to avoid more fire. I took the opportunity, and climbed the tank. I knocked on the top hatch, and the turret opened. The Russian soldier was trying to fire a pistol out the hatch at me, and I smashed my gun butt into his face. He fell back in, and I heard the others muttering, but before any could get near the hatch, I pulled a pin out of a flashbang, and tossed it into the tank. I slammed the hatch down, and held it as I heard the metallic bang and suddenly the tank stopped any motion.

"Did you kill 'em?" Igneous shouted, and I opened the hatch.

"No, just turned them deaf and blind." I said, and grabbed one of the soldiers out of the tank, "Come help me with this, I have an idea!"

Ridge was pressed against a wall, and he watched one of the SPEC soldiers drop, the other, Private Faria, was fighting as well as she could considering she'd been shot in the side. He could see the Space Needle just across a stretch of open ground. Faria, tossed a grenade out, and he watched a Russian be blown to pieces, but was immediately replaced by another.

"We're outnumbered and outgunned!" She shouted.

"We just need to hope someone else makes it to the jammer!" Ridge knew Gneiss, he was clever, he'd find a way.

"Watch out, tank!" Faria shouted, and Ridge looked out, and saw a T-90 smash out of a storefront nearby. He watched as it turned, and he took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he waited for the round to blow him apart, but it never came. He opened his eyes, and saw the Russians scrambling as the tank fired round after round into their ranks. It rolled forward, and the coaxial machinegun tore down the last few men. Ridge remained on edge as the tank turned parallel to his cover, and the hatch opened.

"Hey, we stole a tank!" Igneous shouted as he opened the hatch wide and stepped out. I peeked out behind him, and saw Ridge and an injured SPEC soldier.

"I thought we could use a bigger gun." I said as I leaned out the hatch next to Igneous, "So come on, we've got a jammer to burn." Just as I spoke a trio of bullets pinged off the tank, and I dropped back inside. Igneous and Ridge, carrying the wounded soldier, were right behind me. I turned back on the optics, and saw two dozens soldiers and a military van firing at us from down the road.

"Hang on, we've got trouble." I said, and turned the turret.

"Nothing a 120 millimeter slug can't handle!" Igneous said as he loaded the mentioned round, and I took aim.


	3. Burn The Jammer, At Any Cost

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"So we're practically at the needle!" Igneous shouted as he loaded the next round. I turned the turret, and fired, destroying a car that had been surrounded by russians. I switched to the coaxial and fired mowing down any who survived the main cannon fire.

"They must know we're after the jammer, we've got half the Kremlin converging on us!" Ridge, who had manned the minigun on the main turret, shouted down into the hull.

"I can't just park next to the Space Needle, and let y'all out!" I shouted as I blew apart another group of soldiers, then slammed into reverse to avoid a rocket-propelled grenade that flew past us. I continued backwards, and mowed over a few cars that had been parked on the roadside. The Space Needle was surrounded by small grassy hills, and entrenched in these small glassy hills were Russians armed to the teeth. I fired a round that sailed past them, and then had to shift my attention down the road, because another tank had joined the fray. It's main cannon fired, and I heard the shot sail past us into the buildings beyond.

"Igneous, H.E.!"

"Already loaded, hit the bastard!" Igneous replied. I slammed the trigger down and the HE (High explosive) round blew off the other tanks turret.

"We need to get past those trenches if we want to get to the needle!" Ridge was flooring the minigun in the direction of the building behind us, and I cranked the tank into it's highest gear.

"Ridge, get ready to sweep." I pressed my hand on the throttle, and we slammed forward. I rolled past one trench, and I gunned towards the one nearest the Needle's base. The tank treads demolished the trench, and Ridge turned the minigun down it's length, killing the machine gunners who hadn't even had time to run.

"Igneous, with me. Gneiss, keep the tank on sweep. Faria, load rounds for Gneiss." Ridge barked the orders as he opened the hatch, and he and Igneous stepped out of the tank. Igneous land lightly on his feet, and made his way to the nearby machinegun nest. He pulled the pin back, and opened fire on the approaching forces. I turned to the coaxial and did the same.

Ridge, meanwhile, was making his way to the Needle's base. He approached the elevator without issue, and clapped his hand to the button. He waited quietly, and looked up, only to see the elevators weren't moving. He tried again, and again nothing. Then he moved to the stairwell only to see a large hole blasted through the stairs.

At the same time, Igneous was being engaged from heavy opposition, and I was barely managing to fend of the large groups of vehicles and men who were flooding the area, and then Ridge came back.

"There's no way up, they must have shut off the elevators when they saw us coming!" He took position next to Igneous, and helped take the heat off of him.

"We can't just give up!" Igneous said, and started reloading his MG, but then was pinned into the nest by a swarm of bullets. I checked the monitor and saw where they were coming from. The HAVOC from earlier was sweeping its way across, and it lit up our square with turret fire, then proceeded to strafe the area with rockets, luckily missing our center of mass. I watched as one rocket hit the landmarks strut, and the tower shook. I quickly swept the turret around, and as the helicopter started to spin towards me, I was pressing my trigger.

The chopper manage to hit the tank with a rocket, but my shot hit home, and the rotor was practically blown straight off. I watched it spiral down, and vanish over the treeline behind the Needle.

"Gneiss! You okay in there?" Igneous asked me, and flipped open a view port to look into the tank, and hear me speak

"Yea, the rockets hit the treads. I'm not moving, but this baby can still shoot." At that moment I had an idea, "Ridge, we're cleared to do whatever necessary to blow the jammer, right?"

"That's a positive, Gneiss."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked Faria, and she pull out a red tipped round.

"I think you want a big bang… am I right?"

"That's the plan."

"What's the plan?" Ridge interrupted our back and forth.

"I've got one H.E. round left, and that support is already damaged!" I was already turning the tank cannon towards the needle, and Ridge looked towards the tank in shock.

"Are you serious?!"

"We need air support, now!" Igneous announced, and I heard Faria load the round. The strut was centered in my HUD, and I adjusted my angle. Then I put a flicker of pressure on the trigger, and watched the round fly. It hit home, and I saw the support get blown off the Needle. The sound of stressing metal, and cracking steel ringed out across the square, and suddenly the center of the needle tilted. I saw the other strut bearing the weight, and building slowed to a stop. But as it ridge the end of its tilt, it hit the stop hard, and out of the dish up top came hundreds of tables and chairs, the items that were held in the restaurant i assumed. Then finally a large metal tower came creaking off the very top of the Needle, and I heard my radio crackle to life, as the jammer fell down into the grassy area nearby. Igneous was already on the radio

"Overlord, this is STORM-03, the jammer is burnt! We're pinned down in the city center, our armor is down requesting air support!"

"This is Overlord, we read your last, and you have a load of JDAMs ready as needed."

"We need strikes on the street west of the Needle, Overlord, do you copy?"

"Roger, JDAMs inbound, danger close." The F-22's shot past us, and we saw their payloads gliding to the ground. Then the explosives hit the street, and our opposition was either in retreat, or were no longer in one piece.

"Strikes confirmed Overlord, thanks for the assist." Ridge, walked over to the tank, and opened the hatch, "Gneiss, get out here!"

"Sounds like you're in trouble." Faria said, and I laced an arm under her, pulling her with me, as I climbed my way out of the tank.

"Yes, sir?" I looked at him, and saw him fuming.

"You just shot an explosive round into one of the northwest's most recognizable landmarks… I'm torn between yelling at you and giving you medal, you son of a bitch." He grinned and I laughed.

"We should probably get out of here before we're forced to call in another airstrike." Igneous said as he approached the tank, "I'm not saying I wouldn't like the explosions, I'm just saying it'd be easier."

"Overlord, this is STORM, requesting an airlift." Ridge muttered to his radio, and overlord crackled back into our ears.

"You already have a Helicopter on route from the USS Gerald R. Ford, how copy?"

"Clear on your last, and have eyes on the airlift, STORM out." Ridge shut off the radio, and an CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter came swooping down over the buildings, and turned it's ramp towards us. The ramp lowered, and about two dozen marines stormed out, and formed a perimeter.

"So you're STORM, huh?" a tall dark skinned woman said, and nodded to us, "Chief Petty Officer. Nancy Bauman. Nice job on the jammer. Now, you're going to load up with a few of my men, and head to the Ford while we secure these blocks."

"What's the plan from there, captain?" I asked, and she smirked at me.

"We're headed for San Fran, boys." She turned to Faria, "And girl. we've got a medic on board the Knight, but it doesn't look like that wound's to bad, some pills, and you'll be on your feet in no time soldier. Now, Marines, let's secure these buildings."

"Ever seen the Golden Gate, Gneiss." Igneous asked as I walked Faria up the ramp.

"No, I haven't, but I guess there's a first time for everything… considering I drove a tank for the first time today."

"That was your first time? If I'd known that I wouldn't have let you drive!"

"Well, it's a good thing I didn't tell you then isn't it."

"You two are crazy." Faria muttered, and I laughed as I set her on the bench of the Sea Knight, then we lifted off. I stood, and marched to the edge of the ramp, and watched as we flew away from the Marines who stormed into the buildings. I felt the air whip my face, and for the first time in days, I let myself relax. I watched as we flew over more heated battles out of the city.

"Shouldn't we stay and help more?" Igneous shouted over the winds.

"No," Ridge approached as the ramp closed, "We did our jobs, and the forces in the city can handle it now that they have air support. Our skillset is needed elsewhere."

Ridge was right, this battle was won, but the war was far from over.


	4. Sneaking Through Chinatown

"We've got a foothold in Seattle, but the Russian fleet at San Francisco still poses a major threat."

"The Battlegroup is moving, and will be at San Francisco by morning."

"Sir, we've got multiple holdouts sending in from San Francisco, and it seems they're holding against opposition by the Russians."

"Patch me in, let's see what we can learn from them."

_**Yien-US ARMY**_

"Lieutenant Yien, get up here." Captain. Marcos whispered back to me, and I crawled up next to him. I looked out, and saw the city sprawled out beneath us. I saw fires spread throughout, and heard the firecracker echo of gun battles in the distance. It was dark, 2240 hours. I hadn't slept since the battle began, and was weary, but we had to keep moving.

"Have we got eyes on?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"First we've got to head to the harbor, and gather intel, then we're to move to 11028 Fox Ave. and rendezvous with the detail inside the building. The battlegroup needs that intel to secure the harbor.

"Then let's go get it." Lieutenant Renner said next to me, and I nodded.

We got up, and ran down the hill. There were six of us, Myself, Renner, Marcos, Liapold, Dorlem, and Spiro. I took point, and we moved from street to street. It was quite mostly, and we slipped past established checkpoints set up by russian forces. I knew that in our stealth gear, and in the darkness we wouldn't be spotted, but I still had my rifle at the ready. We found ourselves walking through chinatown, and making our way up a steep slope.

"Why're there so many hills?" Spiro asked, and suddenly, as if on a cue from god, a sniper round plowed through his forehead. Dorlem, who'd been directly behind him, took the same round to the shoulder, and dropped screaming, his arm reduced to a bleeding stump.

"Shit, get down!" Renner didn't need to say it, we'd all dropped immediately. Dorlem continued screaming, and Liapold rolled to him. I looked to Renner, and he looked back to me, and held up the sign for 'ok'. I returned the gesture, and he nodded.

"He's gonna need attention now!" Liapold spoke, and we all turned to the Captain.

"Liapold, get ready to move him. Renner, Yein, you're with me. Snipers in that building at the end of the road. On my go, open fire, and give Liapold an opening. ready…" I tensed, and switched my M16 to burst fire, "Now!" I shot up to my knees, and opened fire. Then as we kept suppressing to the best of our abilities, we moved back to a nearby alley.

"What's the plan, cap?" Renner asked.

"Dorlem, is only going to slow us down, but he's still got a chance. The holdout is nearby. Liapold, I need you to go to fox street ahead of us with Dorlem, they can secure him there. We'll get the intel on the harbor, and you secure the holdout for our arrival."

"Roger, sir." Liapold slung Dorlems remaining arm over his shoulders. We watched him rush down the alley, and turn down a corner. Then we moved to a door. I pressed it open, and we marched through the opening, and then I closed it behind me.

"Damn, it's dark in here." Renner muttered

"The power was probably cut." I said, but just then stepped on broken glass, and turned on my flashlight. The lights in the ceiling had been broken, and I looked down the dark hall, and saw something vanish around a corner.

"Tell me you saw that too." Renner whispered as he pressed to the wall.

"Stay frosty, let's clear this building." Marcos took point, and we stepped forward quietly. I heard our breathing, and my own heartbeat pounded in my ear. Renner seemed on edge, and glanced in each doorway we passed. I had the only active light, and as such Marcos made me stay right on his shoulder.

"Right here, I hear movement on the other side of the door." Marcos took one side of the door, and Renner the other.

"Ready... Breaching!" I said, and kicked open the door. Then as I aimed down my sights, and prepared to fire, Renner grabbed my barrel and jerked it upward. I stopped any pressure on the trigger, and the gun didn't fire.

"Hold your fire, Yien, we've got civies." Renner peaked in, and I followed him. Inside was a stout old chinese man standing in front of two young girls.

"Oh, thank you! You come to save us!" He said, and happily shook our hands.

"Sir, what's your name?" I asked.

"Name, Mi-peng. These are my granddaughters, Cassidy and Lenna. We've been hiding here since the fighting began."

"We need a quick route to the harbor, do you know any way?" Marcos entered the room, and tipped his helmet back to speak easier.

"Across the street, from the front of this building, is my store. In the basement there is a hatch. The storm drains run below it, and head straight to the ocean. Is that where you are taking us?"

"That's a negative sir, I need to ask you to stay here with your granddaughters, we've got to head to the harbor, but on our way back we'll come pick you up. Can you manage that long?"

"Of course, but please, be quick. My girls are very afraid."

"Don't worry, we'll be right back." Marcos nodded, and exited. I kneeled in front of one of the girls, and smiled at her.

"We'll be back for ya, don't worry."

"Come on, Yien." Renner said, and I turned and followed them into the hall. We closed the door, and he looked at me.

"You got kids, Yien?"

"A girl… looked just like her."

"Don't worry, we'll get home, and you can introduce me to her."

"Sounds great." Marcos had reached the front door. We peeked out, and looked across the road. Marcos indicated he had eyes on, and we nodded. He moved for me to go first, and I took position at the door. He opened it quickly, and I started making my way across the street, Renner was following me, and Marcos was exiting the door, just when suddenly a tank pulled around the corner.

"T-90!" Renner shouted, and we both made a break for the next building with Marcos right behind us. We busted through the storefront, and turned just in time to catch him as he leapt through the window to avoid a shot from the cannon.

"We gotta move now." Marcos was slowly regaining his balance. I looked around the shop, and saw dozens of small novelty chinese trinkets, fans, dragons, and the like. Then i felt a cool breeze as I passed a door.

"Hey, there's a draft coming from here." the others rushed to me, and I kicked open the door, then we followed a staircase down into the sublevel. It wasn't as dark as expected, and we spread out across the cold basement.

"Okay, I've got it." Renner was in a dark corner, moving boxes, "This connects to the storm drains, we should be able to follow them straight to the harbor." He opened the small trap door.

"That can't be sanitary." I muttered, but Renner was already in.

"It wasn't how I planned to get us there… but it'll get us there." Marcos followed him. I stared down the hole, and crouched for a moment. Then I heard the tank cannon fire above, and dust shook from the ceiling above me. I listened, and heard the tank light up the store with it's coaxial, and shook my head.

"Well, it could be worse." I dropped in, and landed on a pile of muck in the darkness, "It's worse."

The storm drains were uneventful, and we crawled our way out onto the ankle deep mud. I dragged my way up the wave break, and we looked across the stretch of water to the harbor that housed large shipping vessels. It was cold, and the water clashed near us, sending droplets up over our prone bodies.

"Wow, looks like they turned the shipping harbor into one big gun nest." Renner, handed me his binoculars, and I looked out at the harbor. He was right. The shipping vessels had been blown, and formed a makeshift wall around the easy landing zone. Their armaments consisted of at least two dozen Surface-to-Sea and Surface-to-Air missile launchers, dozens of 40mm cannons turned towards the gaps in the ship barricade, and enough troops to man it all. Then right across the barricade was the Russian fleet.

"That's the clearest path for large deployment, and now it's a gauntlet of death." Marcos was thinking, and turned towards Renner. He pursed his lips, and then took a breath.

"We need to meet up at Fox… but I think we've got a good vantage here. This inlet is wide enough to receive a Zodiac or two, and then move on those turrets. Renner, I'm going to head back to the holdout with Yien, and I want you to stay here, and keep eyes on. Radio in if anything changes."

"Yes, sir."

"Let's move, Yien."

"Good luck, Renner." I Nodded to him, and he raised his rifle.

"I don't need luck… but thanks, man."


	5. Save Me, San Francisco

"Our intel from Captain. Marcos' squad indicates that the Russians have formed a blockade around the main shipping harbor. We can't get any forces past the armaments along the landing zone, and no planes can make it over their SAM's."

"Well don't just tell me what we can't do!"

"Captain. Marcos and his squad found a landing point on the beach, but it can only handle one zodiac. We can land at max, four or five men with a ten foot RHIB. Then from that vantage point they can take out the SAM and SSM sites."

"Alright, Do we have any available seals on board the battlegroup. Seal Team Six is deployed to the east coast, but who's on our west."

"Sir, may I make a suggestion?"

"Go ahead."

"STORM is still on board the Ford."

"... Alright, connect me to whoever is in charge of deployment on the Ford. Tell them I need STORM, and I need them yesterday."

_**Gneiss- US Special Forces deployment, STORM**_

"Gneiss, where ya' been?" Igneous asked as I stepped into the armory, "Swabbing the poop deck?"

"I've been catching some Z's, then the PA system shouted for me to join you all, what're we up to now?"

"Ridge is still being briefed," A woman stepped up to me.

"Faria, what're you doing here?"

"Under new orders, I'm temporarily a member of STORM, Marble, reporting for duty."

"Good to have you on board, your arm is fine then?"

"Yea, I'm patched up just fine."

"Well, I always said we needed a woman on the squad."

"She's only here, until the war is over," Ridge was stepping down a ladder, "no offense to you, but hopefully you aren't here very long."

"No offense taken, sir." Marble saluted.

"At ease, Marble." Ridge, grabbed a handful of small pouches, and passed them to us, Igneous held one, and tossed it between his hands "These packs are full of plastic explosive." Igneous suddenly flinched at the word explosive, and nearly dropped his pouch, "We're going in through a hell storm, boys. The entire battlegroup is going to engage a Russian fleet, while we slip in and flank their mobile SSM's. We will have limited support from the Ford, but mostly we'll be on our own."

"Yea, what else is new." I grabbed an M4 off the wall, and slung the explosives patch to my side.

"We're rendezvousing with a Lieutenant Aidan Paul Renner. He'll pop a flare, and we'll hit the beach."

"So we're just gonna roll past the entire Russian fleet?" Igneous asked.

"It'll definitely be difficult." Ridge, opened a hatch, and we started filing through, and moving down a ramp to the deployment bay.

"Again, what else is new." I stopped and looked at the bay.

"Tell me we're not taking the little zodiac." Igneous asked Ridge, and Ridge just marched on, "Oh come on… last time we had a tank!"

"That you stole,"

"Still!" Igneous groaned and moved on, and Marble stepped up next to me.

"This'll certainly be interesting." She smiled, and then followed them. I shook my head, and then followed my squad.

** _Yien-US Army_**

"Yien, what've you got?" Captain Marcos and I had reached Fox, and discovered ten wounded soldiers, and two dozen terrified civvies. Liapold was here, and Dorlem was in a body bag in a back room. They hadn't gotten to Fox before the blood loss had taken it's toll. I was camped at a window overlooking the bay, and I was gazing through a high caliber sniper rifle.

"Sir, it looks like the fleet is mobilizing, the battlegroup must be getting close. They've got birds in the air, and the ships are moving northward."

"Renner said that they're on edge."

"I think I can see- Yes, there are ships out on the horizon… It's one of our supercarriers… and a bunch of amphibious assault ships."

"Here we go."

"This is about to get, really, really-"

_**Gneiss-US Special Forces deployment, STORM**_

"Insane!" Igneous growled, "This is insane!"

"We're still inside the ship, dude." I replied, and he shook his head. We were sitting in the launch bay with three other zodiacs- distractions-, two LAV's, and two APC"s. It was quiet, save for Igneous ranting.

"I'm just saying, listen to that!" He pointed upward, I was listening. We'd just engaged the Russian air assets, and I could hear the battle raging outside. I felt the ship rock with each hit, and heard it return fire. Then I felt a heavier hit.

"That'd be the line of fire from the Russian ship mounted weapons." Marble, said, and slid into her place in the zodiac, "We're not going to get much cover from three boats, and some LAV's"

"Hang on…" Ridge raised a hand, "We're nearing our release point, Gneiss, you got the helm?"

"I'm on it." I pressed a few buttons, and the zodiac flared to life. I watched the release light above us in anticipation, and then heard the buzz, and saw it flash green. We dropped into the flooded launch bay. Another zodiac deployed in front of us, and the bay door opened. The first Zodiac exploded out of the bay, followed by an LAV, then it was our turn. I slammed the throttle, and we sped forward into the bright morning light. It was overcast, and the air smelled like rain. It seemed peaceful for a moment, only a moment.

Then a large cannon round flew past us, and my eyes snapped to our forward. Dead ahead was a Russian destroyer flanking a massive aircraft carrier. I saw the LAV to our right open fire on encroaching enemy boats, and I cranked the throttle as much as I could. We shot past two armored boats, and slipped past the first zodiac. Then we came under fire from a passing attack helicopter, I swerved left, but the zodiac behind us took the full brunt of the hit. The chopper paid us no mind and went on to attack the Amphibious assault ships.

Marble pulled up a drum loaded grenade launcher, and opened fire on more approaching vehicles. She nailed one chopper in the under carriage, and caused the other's to break formation. Then I saw the water dead ahead start bubbling, and was shocked as suddenly the water gave way and we were sliding down the aft of Russian sub. The massive column of buoyant metal screeched as it broke the surface, and then, before even making full rise, opened a missile hatch and fired just before it was hit by an incoming missile strike from our side. I saw that it had already been damaged by a torpedo, which must have made it surface, but now it was sinking under us. As the turbulent sea sucked it back under, we slid back onto the grey water, and I took back control of the RHIB boat.

"Break south, Gneiss. Our LZ is that way." I turned the wheel, and we hydroplaned right. We managed to curve around a Russian attack boat, and Igneous, who was manning a mounted minigun on our boat, tore apart their gunners. Then I saw the flare, and made a beeline.

"Russian forces are moving on the LZ!" Marble announced, and I glanced to my left. There were dozens of Russian charging down the beach towards the small drain inlet where I spotted a single soldier fighting them off.

"Cover fire!" Ridge didn't even need to order, Igneous was already spinning up the minigun, and his rounds burst from the six super heated barrels and shredded the beach. Marble also fired a handful of grenades right into the mix of sand, blood, and bullets. I cranked the Zodiac, and we slid into the calm storm drain, and I pulled the lever to release anchor.

"Thanks for the assist." A tan skinned, dark haired, man reached out and helped me out of the zodiac.

"You're lieutenant Renner?" Ridge asked, and he nodded.

"We've got a hell of a lot of work to do!" We followed him up the edge of the inlet, and looked out over the beach, "Stay close, we're gonna hit that SAM site dead ahead, that'll clear the south flank for air support."

"We're following you, Lieutenant." Ridge nodded, and the man took a breath, then we broke into a sprint. The beach was littered with bodies from our arrival, and we made it clear towards the dock without any interference, but then we were immediately engaged. I snapped left and right, firing constantly. The echo of the M4 rattled my ears, and I slid into cover behind a crate. Then Igneous came up next to me, and together we sprung up and took down four more with ease.

"This is definitely better than Seattle, more explosions." Igneous threw a grenade on his own cue, and the metal orb blew two men clear off the dock. Then he ran forward, and stopped right in front of the SAM. I covered him as more men took a makeshift bridge across the gap between docks. Then he came running back, and jumped over the crates landing next to me. He pressed down on his trigger, and the SAM was immediately turned into scrap metal.

"One, down. Let's go forward."

"We're going to commandeer the SSM at the end of this dock." Renner explained as he took cover from incoming fire. I shot the soldier pinning him, and then turned back, "We're gonna use it to hit the rear end of their fleet."

"I've got this one!" Marble moved forward, and we followed her. I ran past her, and swept the area around the missile site. She was on the console in a heartbeat. She was pressing in commands, and then suddenly the launcher swiveled.

"How many should I launch?" she asked me.

"All of them, Marble!" I shouted, and she pressed a few more commands. Then the massive machine above us, cranked loudly, and finally fired off multiple shots. I watched them arc, and slam down past the blockade of half sunk ships, and more ships were added to the graveyard. Not shipping freighters this time, but Russian battleships.

"Alright!. We've got air support inbound!" Renner announced, and I saw two ospreys coming in from the south, but a SAM site further up the harbor opened fire on them, and one of them took a missile right in the wing, and started spinning in our direction.

"Yea, that's definitely inbound!" Igneous turned down the dock, and sprinted away. I turned, and Marble and I grabbed each other. We both flung ourselves off the dock into the water below, and the Osprey slammed into the dock, then flung off of it into the water a few yards in front of us.

"Gneiss!" Ridge screamed my name, and I raised an arm.

"I'm good!" I answered, and grabbed the dock, "Marble's here, we're alright!" Then I heard a pounding coming from inside the Osprey.

"There are survivors." Marble stated, and I didn't hesitate. I leaped towards the Osprey, and reached out to grab the door, but it was jammed. I heard more pounding inside, and I knocked in response.

"I'm gonna get you out of there."

"Gneiss, there's fuel in the water!" Igneous was on the dock telling me to get away, but I was pounding on, and prying at, the door. It refused to budge, and I swam toward the cockpit, just in time for the rear of the tilt-rotor vehicle to explode. I was only sent forward a few feet, but the flames licked my helmet, and I heard a scream from inside.

"Gneiss, on your nine!" Marble shouted the warning, but Renner opened fire first. He dropped the men on the dock to my left, and I dived under the water. I swam under the wreckage, and surfaced right against the dock. The other Osprey had blown apart two more SAM's and I could see the air battle beginning with our planes rising of the deck of the Ford. I pulled myself the rest of the way up the dock, and turned back to see my squad, and the men who'd been deployed from the other Osprey in a firefight down near the beach, but there were only a few guards on the SSM site. I opened fire, and dropped the trio, then I ran to the console, and I started typing.

"And…" I typed the last few numbers in, "Open sesame!" I pressed the final button, and the missiles launched, but rather than firing on the fleet, this six round salvo blew apart one of the largest scuttled shipping freighters in the blockade. The deployment boats, hovercraft, and APC's stormed in like I'd just blown a flood gate, and suddenly the Russians were on the defensive. I turned back to the beach, but saw that most of them were retreating, and those that weren't were being picked off by my squad.

"We took the beach!" Igneous yelled, and charged towards me. He raised an arm, and we high fived.

"Damn right, we did!" Renner grinned at me, "Good job blowing that blockade, with all these reinforcements we'll take back San Fran in no time."

"STORM, this is Overlord, come in STORM, over."

"Overlord, this is STORM-01, we read you, over."

"We've got big problems, we may have taken the harbor, but now the fleets retreated to around the mouth of the bay, and we have intel saying that there are multiple Russian subs inbound. The only sub in the battlegroup was blown to shreds by a mine, we'll need a birds eye view of the bay if we have any chance of stopping those subs before they destroy half the battlegroup and open a hole for the fleet to retaliate. Also there is a Russian tank column still in the city, and they seem to be regrouping to take back the docks."

"Seriously?" Igneous shook his head.

"Tank's will secure the beach, but I need you and your squad to get us coordinates on those subs. The Osprey that landed on the beach will have a SOFLAM target binocular system available, take it, and get us that intel. How copy?"

"Roger, where can we get a birds eye view, over?"

"There's only one place with that view of the harbor, Ridge." I pointed, and he stared up at the golden gate bridge.

"The observation balcony on the center Golden Gate Bridge is the easiest place for you to assist."

"Roger, Overlord, we're on our way, over and out."

"So, destroy a bunch of submarines, before a bunch of tanks come to blow our asses up." Igneous lifted his rifle to his shoulder, and chuckled, "Why can't we ever just sit around and guard crates."

"Because you'd kill yourself out of boredom." I punched him in the shoulder, and he nodded.

"Let's get moving, Renner, you in?"

"All the way, man- uh, sir." The lieutenant nodded.

"We need to stop picking up strays." I laughed, and Igneous nodded, then we set off towards the bridge.


	6. The Golden Gate Opens

_**Yien-US Army**_

"Sir, the tank column is moving on the harbor!" I shouted to Captain Marcos, and he came forward.

"They're gonna need more cover than the fleet is managing." Marcos looked out through a pair of binoculars, "Yien, I'm giving you clearance to engage enemy troops headed towards the harbor."

"Understood, sir." I pulled up my sniper rifle and looked back through the scope. It took only a moment, before I spotted a man rushing down a road towards cover across from our defensive line on the harbor. I pulled back my pin, and heard the heavy round load into the chamber. Then I compensated for wind, and held my breath as I pulled the trigger. The man took the shot clear in his chest, and fell immediately. Then I moved on to the next.

"Sir, what about those tanks?" Liapold asked Marcos.

"We haven't received any order regarding the tanks, but we've got enough Javelins stored here to make life hell for them, so let's be ready just in case." Marcos had just finished talking and I had just fired off another round, when I heard a girl crying. The young girl from last night was cowering in a corner, and I nearly bolted from the rifle to help her. Then I spotted her grandfather moving to her, and I returned to the rifle.

_**Gneiss-US Special forces deployment, STORM**_

I shot the last soldier manning the barricade, and then roadie ran my way to the next car. We we're a good third of the way across the bridge, and we were nearing a point where we could spot for the fleet. I peeked over the hood of the car, and saw more Soldiers trying to head us off. I grabbed a grenade, pulled the pin, and then counted to three. I threw the metal orb into the air, and it burst over the heads of the men. Two dropped, and the rest opened fire. The moment they turned to me, Igneous and Ridge snapped up on my right, and dropped two more. Then as they turned to him, Marble and Renner cropped up on my left, and they cleared the final three.

"Come on, we've gotta get eyes on those subs!" Ridge jumped over a K-rail that made up a barricade, and ran to the edge of the bridge. I followed, and leaned over the edge. He was gazing a few thousand yards out, and I spotted a sub. It was a dark ovular shape moving into the harbor.

"Marble, have you got the SOFLAM?" I asked, and Igneous ran up with a pair of large binoculars.

"I've got them right here."

"There's your target." I pointed, and he followed my gaze. Then he raised the binoculars, and pressed the targeting system on the side. I heard a series of beeps from the device, and suddenly the radios emitted a loud warning.

"Target locked, Missile inbound!" A female voice announced, and I looked back towards our fleet. I watched as a large silver object flared from the deck of a ship, and arched out, then flew under the bridge. Then it slammed into the water and we only glimpsed a shadow of it as it plowed into the Russian submarine. Then the water exploded upward like a geyser, and Igneous whooped loudly.

"Hit confirmed, Overlord." Ridge muttered into his radio.

"Affirmative, STORM we have intel saying there are two more subs, do you have eyes on, over?"

"Negative, Overlord." Suddenly a burst of automatic rifle fire caused us all to scramble, "We've been engaged, out."

"We've got men on the bridge!"

"Open fire!"

Suddenly we were back in a firefight, and I was pinned against a massive metal beam on the side of the bridge. I fired a few shots of before getting pinned again. Renner was doing the same behind a car nearby, and I looked at him. He looked back, and we shared a glance. Then I peaked out, and the troops started firing at me, giving Renner a window to move to a different position. Then suddenly Marble shot up with her grenade launcher, and a hybrid car that had been resting on the bridge exploded as she unloaded downrange.

"That got 'em." Renner announced, and came back my way, "Thanks for the distraction." I was not thinking about my reply. I'd spotted a large ovular shadow in the water near the bridge.

"Not a problem." Then I shouted to Igneous, "Hey, toss me the SOFLAM!" Igneous grabbed it, and threw the device to me. I turned back to the edge, and zoomed in through the binos. Then I held the button, and a small square appeared over the shadow with a flashing X, then the binos beeped and the X became solid.

"We've got your coordinates, firing now!" The woman firing the missiles announced over the comms, and I watched for a second time as a silver projectile blew the sub into pieces. This time the water spouted so high that it crashed right against the bridge, and we were misted with salty air.

"Overlord, hit confirmed, the second sub is down." I spoke through the radio, and waited for a response.

"Roger, STORM." Overlord paused suddenly, "STORM, the Russian tank column is diverting armor to your position, you need to secure the third firing solution and evac, how copy?"

"Overlord, we can't see any sub, we need more time, over!" I didn't care what overlord did, but they had to do it fast.

_**Yien-US Army**_

"Captain Marcos, this is Overlord, we need to to provide suppressive fire on any tanks approaching the bridge, over."

"Yien, get off the rifle, and grab a Javelin!" Marcos shouted over his rifle. He and Liapold were covering the injured soldiers as they and the civvies were evacuated. I dropped the sniper, and grabbed the large missile launcher off the floor, then I went to a hole that had been blown in the wall, and pulled off the cover of the Javelin.

"Watch my back blast!" I shouted, and gazed at the targeting screen. Multiple tanks were highlighted, and I focused on the one closest to the bridge. The screen flash as it locked onto the heat emissions, and then the moment it locked, I pulled the trigger. My shoulder was thrown backwards as a large rocket was launched ten feet forward, then the projectile shot fins out of it's sides, and moved straight upward. I didn't take time to watch it impact. I was loading the next missile, then I heard a shout.

"Liapold is down!" Marcos announced, and I turned back to the bridge. I followed the same method as before, and launched my second missile out of the building. Then I opened the comm channel, and called out.

"Renner, this is Yien, do you copy?"

"This is Renner, over!"

"Renner, we're being overrun, I need you to provide cover for whoever is on the bridge." I was loading my next shot, and waited for a response

"That's a negative, Yien, I am on the bridge, over!" Renner sounded under stress, and I hefted up the Javelin. The screen's infrared picked up men all over the bridge, there was a massive firefight.

"Fox is overrun, Liapold is down, but the civvies are out!"

"Yien, you can make it out, go now!"

"I need to provide as much cover as I can." I targeted the next tank and pulled the trigger. A bullet flew through a door, and caught me in the thigh, I screamed.

"Yien! Are you with me?"

"R-renner. My little girl, her name is Caitlyn Yien, tell her daddy loves her, promise me Renner!" I said as I shakily raised the Javelin.

"You'll see her again, Yien, come on!"

"Promise, you son of a bitch!" I aimed the last shot, and just as I went to pull the trigger a small clatter was heard, and Marcos dropped dead behind me. Then a grenade came rolling through the door, and I fired my last shot, a moment before it detonated.

_**Yien-US Army (Status: KIA)**_

_**Gneiss-US Special forces deployment, STORM**_

"Yien!" Renner screamed into his comm, he got no response "Yien… I promise."

"There goes our cover fire!" Igneous shouted, and Renner came up next to him loudly shouting profanities as he engaged the Russian soldiers.

"Overlord, we lost our cover!" Ridge was on the radio, and Marble was next to him reloading her assault rifle.

"STORM, you have bigger problems, our sensors just went off Russians are priming multiple missiles, at least one of which may be nuclear, we need to nail that sub, over."

"Rodger, Overlord." Ridge turned to me, "Gneiss, find that sub now." I nodded, and ran to the bridge, but just as I approached a tank shell plowed through the supports in front of me. Time seemed to slow, and the ground started giving way beneath me. I fumbled, and the grabbed onto one of the smaller metal support wires, and the bridge dropped from under my feet.

"Gneiss!" Igneous had started moving toward me, and I grabbed my gun from my hip. I turned and fired on two soldiers who were engaging him and he moved the last gap of distance. He started to reach out towards me, and then I spotted it. The sub was directly under the bridge. Igneous had grabbed onto my belt, and pulled me towards him. I lost sight of the sub, and I turned to him.

"Push me!" I ordered, and he looked shocked, "Swing me back out, I've got eyes on!" He nodded, and pulled me back another foot, then with a forceful shove I was swinging out over the water. I held the SOFLAM as steady as I could, and I held the button down, then the large beep sounded, and the radio announced another missile being fired.

"The sub is armed, there will be a large radius of damage, danger close, missiles away!" The voice muttered, and just as I landed my boots back on the asphalt of the bridge, I felt the explosion beneath us. Then the ground was unstable underneath all of us.

"Not again!" I shouted, and the bridge snapped right along the mid point between the support and the shore. I turned, and started to run along with my squad, and then the bridge broke loose, and dropped degrees right towards the water. We were all slammed downward, and were sliding towards the water. I couldn't grab anything to stop my descent, and I prepared to fall, but then I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Igneous being held by Renner. Renner had his gun jammed against a pipe, and was using it as a handle. Igneous was holding onto his belt, and his hand was on my shoulder. I turned the other direction and saw the Russian tank that had previously shot at me slide off into the ocean beneath us.

"Hang on!" Renner shouted, and I reached up to grab Igneous. Then another beam gave way somewhere beneath us, and the bridge lurched. Igneous lost his grip, and I was sliding downward again. I scrambled for a handhold, but found none. So I instead focused on avoiding any falling debris. I slid out of the way of a car, and made my way under past a tilting school bus just before it crashed to the bridge surface. Then I flew off what remained of the road, and managed to bounce of a metal beam at the bottom of the structure. The water wasn't to terribly far below me, but it was still quite a fall. I heard the wind rush in my ears, and I blocked the impact with my forearms. Then I slammed directly through the surface, and went a few yards under. My head was pounding, the air had been knocked from my lungs, and the beam I'd hit had given me a throbbing pain in my shoulder, but I could move and I didn't feel any broken bones. So I turned towards the surface, and immediately had to dodge as a giant metal I-beam crashed in behind me. Then I started swimming upward. I surfaced, and the sunlight washed over my face.

"Gneiss!" I heard Igneous shouting, and I coughed up a mouthful of water.

"I'm- I'm up!" I shouted upward at the remains of the bridge, "I'm good."

"How the hell did you survive that?!" I didn't answer the question, and I just turned to the surfacing remains of the submarine. It was bobbing bit by bit to the surface, and a large oil fire had started on the surface. It's destruction had caused an impact on the structure above it, and caused the bridge to snap under the strain.

"Gneiss," This time it was Ridge who shouted down to me, "sit rep?"

"I'm fine… sore, and treading water, but good to fight." I responded, and waited a few seconds.

"We're gonna get you, we've already got boats inbound hang in there!"

"Make sure Overlord knows that I didn't destroy any landmarks this time." I sat in the water, and floated on my back, gazing up at the clouds above me.


End file.
